Metabolomics,Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

Dataset Information

Regulation of Brain Gene Expression in Apis melifera Nurse and Forager

ABSTRACT: The aim of this work was to extend the previous gene expression analysis ofM- M- nurse and forager gene expression, but using the Apis oligo-array designed from the recently sequenced genome.M- M- This study included 28000 features which included ~11000 predicted genes.M- M- The intial study was done using a microarray design based on PCR products of 5500 features derived from an expressed sequence tag analysis of a brain cDNA library.M- M- The variables studied were age (young and old), cast (nurse and forager) and differential gene expression.

ORGANISM(S): Apis mellifera mellifera

SUBMITTER: Thomas Newman

PROVIDER: E-TABM-658 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Publications

Regulation of brain gene expression in honey bees by brood pheromone.

Alaux C C Le Conte Y Y Adams H A HA Rodriguez-Zas S S Grozinger C M CM Sinha S S Robinson G E GE

Genes, brain, and behavior 20090401 3

Pheromones are very important in animal communication. To learn more about the molecular basis of pheromone action, we studied the effects of a potent honey bee pheromone on brain gene expression. Brood pheromone (BP) caused changes in the expression of hundreds of genes in the bee brain in a manner consistent with its known effects on behavioral maturation. Brood pheromone exposure in young bees causes a delay in the transition from working in the hive to foraging, and we found that BP treatmen ...[more]

PMID: 19220482

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Project description:Honey bees move through a series of in-hive tasks (M-bM-^@M-^\nursingM-bM-^@M-^]) to outside tasks (M-bM-^@M-^\foragingM-bM-^@M-^]) that coincident with an intense increase in metabolic activity. Social context can cause worker bees to speed up, or slow down this process and foragers may revert back to their earlier in hive tasks accompanied by reversion to earlier physiological states. To determine if the transcriptional profile of forager bees can revert, or if the effects of flight on gene expression are irreversible, we used whole-genome microarrays. Brain tissue and flight muscle exhibited independent patterns of expression during behavioral transitions, with patterns of expression in the brain reflecting both age and behavior, while flight muscle exhibited primarily age-related patterns of expression. Our data suggest that the transition from little to no flight (nurse) to intense flight (forager), rather than the amount of flight has a major effect on gene expression. Following behavioral reversion there was a partial reversion in gene expression but some aspects of forager expression patterns, such as those for genes involved in immune function, remained. These data suggest an epigenetic control and energy balance role in honey bee functional senescence. Brains and thoraces from the same individuals of all behavioral groups were compared on a total of 132 arrays. The samples were hybridized against each other using a loop design. The groups tested are outlined as follows: Typical aged nurse 'YN' (8-10 days old; <1 day flight experience), Precocious forager 'PF' (8 to 10 days old; 2 to 3 days flight experience), Overaged nurse 'ON' (19 to 22 days old; < 1 day flight experience), Forager - low flight 'TFL' (19 to 22 days old; 2 to 3 days flight experience), Forager - high flight 'TFH' ( 19 to 22 days old; 7 to 9 days flight experience), Forager - old 'OF' (25 to 26 days old; 10 to 12 days flight experience), Reverted nurse 'RN' (25 to 26 days old; 7 to 9 days flight experience). The comparisons are outlined as follows: YN:ON (6 arrays), ON:RN (6 arrays), RN:TFH (6 arrays), TFH:TFL (6 arrays), TFL:PF (6 arrays), PF:YN (6 arrays), ON:TFL (12 arrays), YN:OF (6 arrays), OF:RN (6 arrays), RN:YN (6 arrays). Each comparison was done for individual brains and thoraces. Total: 132 arrays

Project description:In this RNA-seq study, we compared the antennal transcriptomes of sexually mature drones (males) and time-trained foragers (females) of Apis mellifera collected at different times of day and different activity states. The goals of our project was to provide a more comprehensive description of gene expression differences between drone and forager antennae. Most studies on insect antennal transcriptome still focus on identifying and reporting genes involved in odorant binding and detection. In contrast, we also aimed at identifying so far unrecognised molecules, not directly involved in odorant detection, but likely playing an important role in peripheral olfactory processing. We also wanted to explore whether daily changes in gene expression and correlations between gene expression levels and behavioral activity might be a fruitful approach to identify additional genes involved in odorant reception. Apis mellifera drones perform mating flight in the afternoon around 14:00 hour (h) in Bangalore, India. During their daily mating flight activity, drones were caught at the hive entrance and color marked on the thorax. On the next day color-marked drones were collected at two different time points: 9:00 (inactive) and 14:00 h (active). Honey bee foragers can be trained to visit a food source at a specific time of the day. In this study, an A. mellifera colony was transferred in an enclosed outdoor flight cage to train the foragers to visit a feeder at a specific time of the day. A sucrose reward (1M sucrose solution) was presented either from 8:00 to 10:00 h (morning training) or from 13:00 to 15:00 h (afternoon training) for 10 consecutive days. On the 8th, 9th and 10th day of training, foragers visiting the feeder were marked on their thorax with different colors, one type of color each day, to identify the frequently visiting foragers. On the 11th day, the feeder was not presented and the foragers that had all 3 color marks were collected at 9:00 and 14:00 h. All the samples were immediately flash frozen in liquid nitrogen. Collected samples were transferred from liquid nitrogen onto dry ice and the entire antennae (i.e. scape, pedicel and flagellum) were cut off. We pooled 10 antennae from 5 bees per sample and extracted total RNA using Trizol method. Antennal transcriptomes of drones (n=3 per time point), morning-trained foragers (n=2 per time point) and afternoon-trained foragers (n=2 per time point) were sequenced at 2 different time points (9:00 h and 14:00 h).

Project description:As a matter of fact, honeybees are vital for the pollination of more than 80 crops of agricultural interest. However, population decline has become an important global issue causing significant concerns among agricultural experts and the broader public. For this, parasites are known to be the major culprits responsible for the losses of millions of honeybee colonies so far. Among these parasites, Varroa destructor has been identified as a major cause for global losses in Western honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies. Hygienic behavior (HB), on the other hand, is a collective response by adult honeybees to defend against parasites and diseases that is known to involve in resistance towards Varroosis. Even with the efforts made to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying HB, it is still not understood. In our study, we have studied the proteomic correlates to HB using a honeybee line (selected for Varroa-specific HB for over a decade in Germany). We sampled individual worker bees from this line that showed HB after closer infrared video observations and compared the proteomes of their mushroom bodies and antennae with those of workers that came from the same set of colonies but didn't show the behaviour. Furthermore, we compared the pupal hemolymph for worker bees of the selected HB line and a control line using state-of-the art techniques of proteomics. We identified a total of 8609 proteins (covered >55% of the honeybee proteome) from these three honeybee tissues. This is the most comprehensive proteomic study of the honeybee HB to date, and the first to focus on individual bees expressing Varroa-specific HB. These results have significantly advanced our knowledge on the biology underlining HB to a new level. The uniquely found functional classes and pathways by the proteins identified in each tissue suggest that hygienic bees have shaped distinct proteome settings to underpin the HB. Moreover, during analysis of pupal hemolymph proteome, the HB-line has adapted a unique strategy to boost an individual and social immunity and drove pupal organogenesis via energy metabolism and protein biosynthesis. Moreover, in the mushroom bodies of different HB phenotypic worker bees, the hygienic bees have enhanced their neuronal sensitivity to promote the execution of HB by activation of synaptic vesicles and calcium channel activities. Moreover, in the antennae of two HB phenotypic worker bees, the hygienic bees have demonstrated strengthening of their sensitivity associated with olfactory senses and signal transmissions, which is important to input a strong signal to the mushroom bodies and initiate HB. In conclusion, our novel findings have significantly extended our understandings of the molecular mechanisms that underline the HB to combat Varroa infestation. Furthermore, we identified a wide array of novel markers that are useful for accelerating marker associated selection of HB to aid in the natural resistance to a parasite blamed for a global decline in honeybee health.

Dataset Information

Regulation of Brain Gene Expression in Apis melifera Nurse and Forager

Publications

Regulation of brain gene expression in honey bees by brood pheromone.

Similar Datasets

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